Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Receives $225,000 from KeyBank Foundation

HATFIELD — The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts received a community-impact grant from KeyBank Foundation in the amount of $225,000, payable over three years. The funding will support the Food Bank’s goal of increasing the availability of culturally appropriate food at its 25 Mobile Food Bank distribution sites.

The Mobile Food Bank delivers a truck full of free fresh and non-perishable groceries from the Food Bank’s warehouse directly to a community site for immediate distribution to residents. The program reaches underserved populations throughout Western Mass. that do not have access to healthy foods, including families, seniors, and children. Much of the Food Bank’s culturally appropriate inventory for underserved communities must be purchased with funding raised from private foundations, businesses, and individuals.

“KeyBank is committed to partnering with community organizations whose mission it is to improve the lives of underserved populations and neighborhoods where we do business,” said Matthew Hummel, KeyBank Connecticut and Western Massachusetts market president. “The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts works tirelessly to reach the populations having the highest rates of food insecurity and poverty, including some of the most culturally diverse areas in the state. We are proud to support their Mobile Food Bank program to help reach all residents in need with nutritious and culturally sensitive food supplies.”

KeyBank Foundation grants are made under Key’s National Community Benefits Plan established in 2017, which has already delivered more than $29 billion in lending and investments across the bank’s national footprint supporting affordable-housing and community-development projects, home and small-business lending in low- and moderate-income communities, and philanthropic efforts targeted toward education, workforce development, and safe, vital neighborhoods.